Moving mountains through the cloud. We have been a part of the communication revolution, the exchange of information & the sharing of data.

Feb 16, 2017

The better file transfer solution for a television news station

Recently, one of our potential clients (a local TV station) approached us with the challenge of improving their file transfer workflow. They wanted to receive news footage in a timely and efficient manner. After a discovery meeting, we found out that they were relying heavily on FTP through a cellular network. These two are a deadly mix. FTP is not resilient to intermittent data connections and cellular networks are loaded with intermittent data connections.

Transferring files between 150MB to 500MB while driving around in a news truck over FTP is less than ideal. We all know the common issues with FTP transfers. Instead of rehashing, let’s just say it doesn’t work. And cellular coverage is not everywhere, as much as telephone companies like to claim.

In this client’s case, thirty minutes before the content goes live, editors are calling reporters saying that the videos they sent were corrupted or incomplete and needed to be resent. Reporters who are in the middle of working on the next story have to stop what they’re doing and resend the file. Both reporters and editors are stressed because with 5 minutes to go, neither side knows if the files will be transferred successfully.

With or without the content, the show must go on. If the file transfer fails, the work that the reporters put in doesn’t even make it to the live broadcast. This was the daily reality for our client.

Our client finds the ‘relief’ with eSecureSend

When a reporter starts a file transfer, it should just work. It should also work fast. By leveraging the reliability and speed of BitTorrent architecture (see who else is using BitTorrent), eSecureSend creates an enclosed and highly-secured ecosystem for resilient, high-speed file transfer.

Our client no longer has editors calling reporters to restart file transfers. With auto-resume features, eSecureSend is resilient to intermittent internet connections. The file transfer just keeps going until it is done. When it finishes the transfer both reporters and editors get an email notification. They no longer live in suspense!

Whether sending media content a few miles away or across the globe, a reliable online file transfer platform is an essential utility for any station. TV stations that rely on eSecureSend to reduce inefficiencies in their media workflow meet deadlines while providing the great quality programming that a station’s audience demands.